Chronicles of a Through-Listener

[dkthingsetc]

"Through-listener" being a term I made up. I started from the beginning and have been listening to every episode since. In October 2005 now. I wrote a post about it on my blog and thought folks may be interested. Enjoy.

http://davidkrameretc.com/post/117470634156/more-thoughts-about-the-best-show

[stubing]

Good blog post.
I began "through-listening" about 2 years ago and I am into 2006. The evolution of the show is amazing and listening to it unfold and evolve brings me so much entertainment and joy. Also - so much great music. Along the way Tom perfected his craft, but even from the early days he understood that he needed to mix things up and change course often, which I think is what keeps the show so vibrant.

[buffcoat]

I've been listening backward (and forward) since 2010. I became a fan in 2004 but mostly listened to the Newbridge calls and random episodes for the first few years.

Listening to the shows backward is fun in that you often hear Tom's last take on something way before you hear the actual thing. And then you get to the actual thing he was talking about and there's no aftermath, it just sort of disappears from the show's collective conscious.

[yesno]

I listened to every available episode chronologically in 2008 or so.  Since I don't get the references to pop culture that Tom makes today, it's really no different listening to the older shows either.

I think I may have to make another voyage through the archives.

[Josh from Vestal]

I am going backwards through each year, listening to each episode for that year in order i.e. 2012 Jan-Dec, 2011 Jan-Dec etc. I'll be finishing up 2006 shortly. It's fun to revisit a time when Myspace was still a thing.

Each year is like watching the creation and destruction of a beautiful sand mandala (Writing that made me puke in my mouth just a little bit).

[JeffertonFromTX]

I've been randomly listening to episodes from 2001 recently. I tried to give through listening a go a while back, when the archive's pop player started in 2008 and went up from there, but I didn't make it really far.

These 2001 episodes are wild. It's like the angry cable access version of the Best Show (in the best possible way).

[rpm1200]

I burned the WFMU show archives to MP3 CDs and have been listening to them from the beginning, in order, whenever I drive my car. I fast forward through the "Best Show on W-F-M-U" sample loop at the beginning of each episode but otherwise listen straight through, including the music. It was really cool when Peyton Reed called in a couple of weeks ago and revealed his role as Star Wars Insider, having heard the original show from 12/19/2000 not that long ago.

[SWANK MAN]

in the last year i've listened from the 2002 show with petey interviewing dave willis and matt mallontamardo, all the way through to may 29 2012. still going strong.  knocking out at least a show a day at this point. when i hit the last show of 2013, i'm going to listen to all the 2001-2002 shows i missed.
BEST SHOW 4 LIFE
 

[John Junk]

The old Best Show!  A big part of the early Best Show on WFMU's character was its presence on WFMU and how it did this weird dance with WFMU listeners. There were some people who listened to the stream from Canada, Britain and parts of America pretty early, but the majority were NY- and NJ-based weirdos and randos -- die-hard WFMU listeners, and people just picking up the station in their cars and whatnot. This dynamic between the two Best Show polarities was exemplified by Officer Tom (actual Jersey cop) and Purple Shirt (New York artist and professor antagonizing actual Jersey cop with malicious bobble heads and urinal cakes). Also I remember Tom having to humor bad callers more, and be more solicitous to get people to call in, making his frustration and GOMPs that much more powerful, because there wasn't a line around the block to get through back then. Thanks for the blog post!

[Nicholas Tanek]

For some reason, I am listening to the old shows in a backwards kind of way. I am about to start 2003.  What I find interesting is that even though there are certain events that date the show (i.e. presidential election), the show still has this weird timeless quality. I think we can all relate to Tom, as a guy just dealing with life.